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About

My name is Daniel Huffman, and I am a cartographer.

I was originally supposed to be a scientist. I liked watching Mr. Wizard and Bill Nye when I was younger, and decided when I was 11 that I was going to be a chemist. I took my BA from Kalamazoo College, in chemistry and history, got a job as a bioanalytical chemist, and took three years to figure out it wasn’t for me.

I tried being a historian next, and came to Madison intent on obtaining a Ph.D. in the History of Science department at the University of Wisconsin. That didn’t go so well. I learned that just because you like to read about/hear talks on something doesn’t mean you’ll like actually doing research in it.

So I decided to try cartography next. This was no surprise to anyone who knew me. I have always loved maps, and would sometimes go to the library and browse atlases for fun. But I somehow had never realized that maybe, if I was so interested in maps, I should actually try and make a career out of it.

And so now I make maps, and occasionally teach about cartography, in Madison, WI. I love what I do, and I cannot fathom how I didn’t realize that this was what I should be doing with my life.